Lavender Castles
by Mourning Ophelia
Summary: After receiving a mysterious letter on her 18th birthday, Zechs and Relena are off on an adventure to find a long-lost mother. (1xR, 6x9)
1. Eleven Twenty Two

Six minutes and thirty two seconds until her eighteenth birthday.  
  
According to Pagan, at least.  
  
The Darlians had always celebrated it three days early, though she wasn't sure if they were aware of their mistake, or were genuinely trying to hide her identity. In either case, she had celebrated the most important day of her life on the wrong day for seventeen years, and she was feeling just a little bitter.  
  
Wiping her hands on a prim white towel, she gingerly picked up her weapon of choice. Relena poised the knife above her creation, inspecting it for any flaws. Her hand lingered on the silver handle and she tilted her head, almost as if she was trying to remember what she was doing there in the first place. Glancing at the clock again, she let out a small private smile.  
  
It was sort of exciting to have such a little secret; the date was something that belonged to her. Relena had left her office five days prior to the mass hysteria that she knew would be planned on the wrong day. She didn't tell anyone where she was going, or what she would be doing. A note was left with her secretary explaining that she would be back in a week's time, and not to send out anyone looking for her. Pagan had been worried at first, but gave her that gentle smile and helped her pack her bags.  
  
Carefully squeezing out the impeccable white frosting that she dared to share with no one, Relena placed little dime sized drops over the dark brown canvas. Her apron rode up against the countertop, but she didn't mind. She was alone.  
  
In times like these she was amazed at how comfortable she was being by herself. There was some mute sense of pride that welled up inside of a person when they realized they could take care of themselves. Relena was in no way helpless, but lately she had been struggling to accept the ferocious swirl of changes that had descended and tore her life to bits.  
  
At first, she had thought her foster mother was playing a bad joke, one that would go away once she woke up. But there, on that television screen, Mrs. Darlian had told the reporter every intimate detail of Relena's youth and recent life that the Vice Foreign Minister had confided in her. Friends that were with her in the room at the time sat down absolutely fascinated and outraged, to join the other two billion people that had tuned in to watch it. Baby pictures and temper tantrums were paraded across the screen, and she realized, with growing animosity, that something sacred and holy to her had been ripped from her heart and given to the rest of the world. Relena had been so humiliated that she quietly left the room and locked herself away in her own. It was the first time in ten years that she had cried herself to sleep.  
  
It wasn't just the false accusations and de-meriting of her character a la her step mother either; it was tons of itsy bitsy little things that had begun to nag and pick at her constantly. Not being able to go on walks by herself was not just upsetting anymore—it was devastating.  
  
Two minutes and fifteen seconds.  
  
There were plenty of things that she wished could have been different. Sometimes she even had dreams about what it would have been like to have grown up in Cinq, rather than in Brussels with the Darlians. Maybe her mother wouldn't have sold her out for millions of dollars.  
  
Maybe her mother wouldn't have done the things she did to her when Mr. Darlian wasn't around.  
  
Relena picked up the knife again and sliced into her birthday cake, taking only one small sliver. She slid it neatly onto a flimsy paper plate and moved from the small cabin's kitchenette to the window overlooking Cinq's ocean. Another look to the clock, but no smile came this time; another minute and she wouldn't have to deal with her mother or any of her life with them. And from the other side of the room a rerunning interview drifted slowly into her asylum.  
  
'. . . she was always ungrateful-- a disgrace to everyone in the family-- because she couldn't control her selfishness . . .'  
  
June 9th AC 198, eleven twenty two AM.  
  
"Happy Birthday to me." She whispered, though she couldn't bring herself to eat her cake.  
  
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Lavender Castles (Prologue: Eleven Twenty Two) By Mourning Ophelia Email: fishphaedra.nu Disclaimer: Gundam W doesn't belong to me. ..  
  
Author's-Extravagantly-Long-Note: Hi, I know I shouldn't really be starting another story, especially since I haven't finished my other series', but this first chapter pretty much wrote itself. I have an undying devotion for Zechs, but I always thought he was portrayed sort of oddly in fanfics in regards to his relationship with Relena. Usually, they don't speak, but when they do there's really no explanation for how or why it happened to work out. So! Using my two favorite characters that just so happen to be siblings, I wanted to tell it my way. :D I really hope you enjoy this fic, and all the happy 1xR and 6x9 feelings it should eventually bring.  
  
And, of course, the sibling bonding.  
  
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He squirmed uncomfortably in the hard metal chair, clutching a piece of paper in his right hand, and his head in his other. His breathing was low and light, as if he was in deep meditation. Noin came up behind him, obviously exasperated.  
  
"You're calling to wish her a happy birthday, not bring the words of the harbinger."  
  
"I know," Zechs began, obviously anguished, "But what if she wants to have a conversation? What am I supposed to say to her?"  
  
Noin rubbed her expanding stomach thoughtfully before answering, "Why don't you tell her about what you've been doing? Or ask her how she's been?"  
  
"She's obviously been awful with that horrid foster mother. Relena's gone into hiding!"  
  
"Ask her how that's been, then." Noin gave him a small smile before moving back into the kitchen to make breakfast. The rushing sun rose to meet the martian desert, casting a deep red glow on her through the window. Zechs sat enraptured for a moment, but hardened his resolve.  
  
Dialing the number he had begged out of Pagan, he waited for her to answer her vidphone. It wasn't long; Relena took about two rings to answer.  
  
"Oh! Hello, how are you?" She plastered on a fake smile. Zechs was insulted that she would put on such a show to appease him.  
  
"I . . ." he was rushing, but slowed himself down, "I wanted to wish you a happy birthday."  
  
Relena tilted her head to the side, her long honey hair dipping over her shoulders, "So you knew too?" Suddenly her secret was not such a secret anymore.  
  
"Of course. I was there on the day you were born, you know. I got to hold you before our father even did." There was a certain undertone of pride in his voice that did not escape her. She finally gave a small, cute smile.  
  
"Thank you, I really appreciate hearing that."  
  
A moment of uncomfortable silence on both ends passed before he finally rushed out with the first thing he could think of.  
  
"How has hiding been?" It took every ounce of bodily restraint not to bang his head soundly against the table.  
  
"Pretty peaceful—I sort of like it by myself," she admitted slowly, running a nervous hand through her hair. Zechs' eyes narrowed unconsciously in a fit of brotherly concern.  
  
"You're by . . . yourself?"  
  
Relena narrowed her eyes right back and put her hands on her hips, "I can take care of myself, you know! And besides, I'm in Cinq. I think the worst that could happen to me is that I would accidentally asphyxiate myself on a pillow."  
  
"You're in . . . Cinq?"  
  
"Yes, off of Castle Road and Oceana. You know—right by the ocean." Relena licked her lips and seemed to glance to the side, "I bought this place last week . . ."  
  
"I'm sure," he began quickly, but forced himself to slow down again, "I'm sure it's lovely."  
  
"It makes me a little sad, but this was the only place I could think of to come. I had to be by myself for even just a few days."  
  
Zechs nodded mutely, unable to think of how to respond to such a heavy statement. He wanted to say something, anything to make the situation more comfortable. Noin moved in quickly behind him, leaning down over his shoulder and smiling at her sister in law.  
  
"How are you, honey?"  
  
"I'm fine, just a little tired." Relena was lying again. It came so easy as of late.  
  
"Don't lie to me Miss Relena, I know you better than that." Noin warned her with a warm undertone in her voice. "If you want, I can go after that foster mother of yours with a--,"  
  
Relena raised a hand to silence her, "No need. Wufei, Trowa, Duo, Hilde, Sally, Une, and Mariemaia already offered."  
  
"I'm glad you have such willing friends." Zechs twitched slightly. Relena laughed and shook her head to echo his sentiments.  
  
"I won't keep you two any longer . . . I know how busy you are. Thank you for wishing me a happy birthday, though. You're one of four people that actually know." Relena brushed her hair behind her shoulders.  
  
"Is there something you want for your birthday?" Zechs inquired, more than willing to give her Antarctica if she asked for it. Noin rolled her eyes as she felt his dramatic nature creep back into the conversation.  
  
Relena put a finger to her chin thoughtfully before asking, "Will the two of you be at the Preventers formal next weekend?"  
  
"N-," Zechs hardly opened his mouth before Noin cut him off.  
  
"Of course, we wouldn't miss it for the world."  
  
"Great! Then that's all I need."  
  
The trio said their short goodbyes; Relena pleased with the promise, Zechs pleased with the genuine smile on her face, and Noin pleased with her husband for going through with it.  
  
"That wasn't so hard now, was it?" She ran a hand through his hair, wondering why he was still staring at the blank screen.  
  
'That was worse than hard,' he thought leaning back into his chair, 'that was the most nerve wracking conversation I've had in my entire life."  
  
Rubbing a hand over his face, he breathed out a deep sigh.  
  
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She was back, finally. Heero nearly strangled her himself when she walked through the door, gliding by him with her suitcases as if nothing had happened—as if she had done absolutely nothing wrong.  
  
But she had done several things that were extremely inconvenient. For the most part (for the entire part, actually) the feelings came from her not telling him where she was going, who she was going with, how long she'd be gone, why she was going, ect., ect. Duo had tried to tell him that he was just worried about her because he shared an undying devotion, and that the little vexations all summed up to a rather big thing called love.  
  
Heero snorted; he had done his calculations.  
  
First and foremost, her not informing the head of her security that she was leaving far outweighed the fact that his heart sped up rapidly when she was in his general vicinity. The clenching of his heart that first half an hour he couldn't find her might have been more painful than watching her float away from him as he went off to fight her brother.  
  
And, for these very same vexations, Heero Yuy was now going to confront her.  
  
He entered without knocking, like he always seemed to do. How dare she ever shut him out like a beggar child? How dare she duck under her bed covers upon his entrance? How dare she be given a physic Heero-Connection that never let him sneak up on her?  
  
"Go away, Heero." She mumbled, rolling deeper into her comforter.  
  
"Do you know what time it is?" He asked her gruffly, pulling back her dark satin curtains.  
  
"Sleeping time?"  
  
". . . "  
  
"Uh oh, don't tell me it's . . ." Relena sat up in her bed, throwing down her comforters dramatically, "lecture time?!"  
  
Heero narrowed his eyes. She was definitely mocking him, and he did definitely not like it. Not one itsy bitsy—oh, how pretty her hair looked in the morning control yourself, dammit, she's using that smile—bit!  
  
He sat down on the bed and said nothing, staring her down. She glared right back, obviously exasperated for having been woken up at four AM on her only day in the week off.  
  
She flashed him a brief smile, leaning over to hug him in a nonchalant manner that left him absolutely still. After releasing her bodyguard, she dove back under her down comforter and closed her eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry I made you worry, Heero. I know you don't like it when I go somewhere without telling you. . . . I just wanted to be alone for a while."  
  
"You could have talked . . . to me about it." He argued gruffly, "Instead of causing a panic in the Preventers." When she didn't respond Heero assumed she had fallen back to sleep. He stood back up, his previous anger completely lost on the shape of her nose and lips. She hadn't done it to purposely worry him—Relena, after all, couldn't lie to save her life.  
  
But if she knew that it bothered him that much . . . then why did she leave in the first place? Heero shut the door quietly behind him and began his rounds.  
  
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It was that very same day that Relena received a curious letter in the mail. Pagan had been the one to bring it in for her with her morning meal and seemed to be deeply troubled by the sight of it, but left without waiting to see its contents. After all, if it had gotten by Heero's Nazi- like mail checking routine (in which non-existent letter bombs from secret admirers were removed from her before she could open them) then there was nothing to worry about.  
  
The first thing she noticed was that the letter was from the United Kingdom; this, as well as the heavy stationary was not out of the ordinary. The way it was addressed, however, was:  
  
Grand Duchess Relena Peacecraft 1000 E. Main Street Cinq Kingdom, 101  
  
In other words: the address of the Grand Palace of Cinq. Relena figured the post office received enough of her mail to know the direction to send it in, namely Brussels, and it had somehow reached her. The curvature of the R and the tail on the P were so elegant that the Vice Foreign Minister knew that the letter was from no average person.  
  
Realizing she was stalling, she quickly opened it.  
  
My Dear,  
  
Happy 18th birthday, my precious Poppet; though the journey and struggles were difficult, you were, and still remain, the brightest star of all.  
  
With much love, K. Peacecraft  
  
Her chest constricted with so much emotion Relena though she might never be able to breath normally again. Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring the words until a large black mass. Bringing the envelope up to her nose, she inhaled deeply.  
  
Lavender...  
  
Like...  
  
She shot up from her bed and ran out of her room. Not caring for a single moment she was showing the house's occupants her silly cloud pajamas, she ran past the maids, past the security guards, and past Heero—who merely stared at her blankly and followed.  
  
When she reached the communication and conference room Relena threw the door shut behind her and locked it. Heero nearly crashed into the door and cursed under his breath when he realized she had blocked him out. Pressing an ear to door, he sent away curious bystanders with the mother of all death glares.  
  
Inside, Relena frantically began to push in numbers. Her hands shook with excitement and an unrestrained smile broke out on her face.  
  
Apparently she had forgotten the monstrous time difference between Earth and Mars; Zechs answered the phone looking as though he had just woken up from the grave. Trying not to laugh at the half of his hair that stood nearly straight up, she greeted him warmly.  
  
"Is something wrong? What happened? Are you OK? Where's Pagan?"  
  
She wondered, if only for a moment, that if she were to let him go on long enough, he'd get an ulcer.  
  
"What was the perfume Mother used to wear?" She asked in a low voice, knowing perfectly well Heero was standing right behind the door.  
  
Zechs looked caught off guard, "...Why do you ask?"  
  
"Tell me and I'll let you know!"  
  
He snorted in what she assumed was a laugh. "... it was lavender."  
  
From the grin that broke out on her face, he knew that something was seriously happening. He could almost see the wheels spinning above her head.  
  
"Are you sure?" She leaned forward a little, excitement flushing her face.  
  
"Positive. You spilled the entire bottle on yourself once and Father had to throw you in the ocean to get the overwhelming smell off."  
  
Relena looked horrified, "He... threw me in the ocean?"  
  
Zechs nodded, an amused smile apparent, "You were a very entertaining child."  
  
She stuck her tongue out at him in pure reflex, "Now you're going to have to wait to see why I asked! Have a good night!"  
  
Before Zechs could even reply she closed the connection. He raise a brow at the blank screen in front of him, curious and a little bit excited.  
  
His last thought as he curled up to his wife to return to bed was of a little girl with honey hair, sticking her tongue out as she hobbled along on her first steps.  
  
"What was that all about?" Noin mumbled in a sleepy voice.  
  
Zechs kissed her cheek, "My sister has just lost her mind."  
  
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Short and sweet. How very unlike me. ;)  
  
Comments, feedback, and criticism are always appreciated. 3 


	2. As If You Could Refuse

"Doooooooooorrothyyyyy!"  Relena sang out from the bathroom, "Dorororororoooorothy!"

Dorothy Catalonia looked up from where she were she was applying her foundation, "Are you daft or just extravagantly drunk?"

"Booooottthhhh!"

Jesus Christ.  

Throwing the door open to reprimand her friend, she happened upon a familiar scene.  Relena was sliding her stockings up her leg delicately, smiling.  Dorothy narrowed her eyes dangerously.  

"Hi, will you help me zip up my dress?"  Relena stood, catching the front part of her embroided silk number before it fell off.  

"If you needed help you could have just asked."  Dorothy grumbled, forcing the zipper up swiftly.  Relena laughed happily and hugged her friend.  

"It's more fun to tease you!"

Dorothy pried her arms from around her neck and held the girl at arm's length.  Her sharp eyes cut over the dress the Minister was wearing, inspecting it for flaws.  The top was strapless and it gathered together at the back into a large bow.  The tails of the bow were sheer and delicately flowed down her back.  The dress was tight, an honest to God beautiful fit, white, and her friend looked fabulous.  

"Dorothy?"  Relena cocked her head to the side.  The other girl looked up.

"Yes, my darling?"

Relena laughed, "Why do we always wear the exact opposite color dress?" 

Dorothy looked down at her little black number; short, puffy, and very Victorian lace.  "So no one will confuse us, darling."

"Of course, honey.  How could I forget?  Mr. Winner will definitely not miss you in a crowd."  The other girl's mouth opened and closed wordlessly, as if her hand had been caught in a cookie jar.  Relena raised her eye brows up and down comically and Dorothy had the decency to blush.

"That's it," Dorothy snapped as her friend strolled by her to put her makeup on, "You're not allowed to retire in that nice convent I found in Switzerland.  No singing through the flower fields for you, Miss Darlian!"

Relena popped her head back in, a mournful look on her face, "Bless me sister, for I have sinned!"

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Lavender Castles

(Part 1: As If You Could Refuse)

By Mourning Ophelia

Email: fish@phaedra.nu

Disclaimer: Gundam W doesn't belong to me. ._.

Author's-Amazingly-Short-Note:  Thank you for all the kind reviews!  And, of course, for waiting. 3

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Zechs Merquise had killed many people.  He had recaptured his kingdom, married the love of his life, had to face his past, ect., ect.  It was absolutely no fair that he had to attend stuffy banquets with people who still gave him dirty looks even after years had passed and they understood his intention.  It was no fair, and he was not going in there without a fight. 

Noin caught his ear and pulled it down to her level, "You'll go _in_, or you'll be _shut off until three months after the baby is born." _

Bah, the path of a warrior was bathed in tedious tasks such as this.  

Taking both her hands in his he rested his forehead on the top of her head.  Noin looked up apprehensively as the roundness of her belly kept them at a distance.  Her dress, midnight blue with a waist cut to accentuate her stomach, was stretchy and by Zechs' definition "cutesy."  Needless to say, she was feeling a little self-conscious. 

"Do I have to?"  He breathed into her ear.  Oh no, not this time.  Noin pulled back the instant she recognized the, "you love me and will do anything for me 'til death do us part" voice.  

"Yes you ha-!!"

"Noin!  Zechs!"  Sally's familiar voice was right behind them.  Wufei was behind her, being dragged across the smooth marble floor. recklessly.  They both whipped around to see the partners casually stroll up.  Sally instantly launched into Noin's pregnancy and the typical girl talk.  Noin visibly relaxed and smiled the first smile Zechs had seen from her since they arrived on Earth.  

Wufei had gotten much taller to his surprise.  He still had a few good inches on him, but Zechs could see that the teenager he once knew was now a young man.  

"Comrade," Zechs began looking around, "shall we blow this joint to the moon?"

"I've got a pack of dynamite in the car,"  Wufei announced very seriously,  "But we would need Winner's ability to put them in strategic locations, Barton to place them on ceiling beams, Yuy's wiring skills, and Maxwell to ignite them in case one them misfires."

"Ah, then all is lost."  Zechs took a glass of wine from a waiter passing by.  Wufei grabbed one also and emptied it in a single swoop.  He took two more. 

"Viva la revolution." 

"I can toast to that." 

The clinging of the two men's glasses brought Sally and Noin's attention back to them.  

"What the hell are you two planning?"  Noin raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing dearest, just keeping an eye out for my darling little sister."

"Hello, how are we all tonight?"  Dorothy smiled very casually.  They all said their hellos politely and she inquired if they had see Quatre at all that evening.  

"I checked the guestbook when we came in; I don't think he's here yet."  Noin rubbed her stomach thoughtfully.

"I here!  I'm here!"  Quatre practically ran up to them, "I'm sorry Miss Dorothy, but it took a little instruction in a couple different foreign languages to get the valet to park my car correctly."  

Zechs and Wufei saluted him with their wine glasses.  Quatre had a _nice_ car.

"No problem, but I was getting worried.  It usually takes the two of us to fend off Senator Bigams when Heero isn't around."  Dorothy took the arm Quatre was offering and they walked back into the main ball room. 

"Senator Bigams?"  Zechs felt strangely uninformed.

"He's been asking your sister to marry him for the past two years.  I think he's up to the thirty-third proposal."  Sally explained.  Noin rolled her eyes and went into what imbeciles men were in Italian.

Hurricane Heero with Thunderstorm Trowa came swiftly upon them.  

"Where.  Is.  Your.  Sister."  Heero demanded between clenched teeth.  Trowa merely turned and inquired about Noin's pregnancy.  He was pleased to be able to see her.  

"Comrade," Wufei began as his vision started to blur, "You need a drink." 

Heero's anger dimmed for a moment and he look slightly startled, "Are you . . . drunk?"

"Rightfully sooo, Comrade!"

"He has a low alcohol tolerance," Sally interjected quickly, "don't let him have any more or else you'll regret it on Monday."

Heero glared at them all, still waiting for an answer. Zechs shrugged and pointed to the ball room, "You missed it.  She just accepted Bigam's thirty-third proposal.  They're currently eloping in Cancun and vacationing in her bedroom."

Rage flew across Heero's face, and for a moment, Zechs honestly thought that the young man would attack him.  He took the rest of Wufei's wine and threw it to the back of this throat.  Sally and Noin looked on, greatly amused.  Trowa knew, unfortunately, that Bigams was going to be a very dead man before the night was over. 

It was at that moment that the aforesaid subject appeared, smiling brightly.  

"Hi!"  She latched onto her brother's arm and yanked him away as quickly as she could.  Heero's fists clenched and everyone took a step back.

"That is the seventh time she has done that today."  He announced and followed after the two. 

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Zechs almost sighed in relief when she released his arm from her death grip.  She had pulled up across the street to her hotel room (the one that Heero had debugged entirely much it his later dismay) and they were now standing in the elevator on the way up. 

"What did you do to Heero to make him act like a deranged animal?"  Zechs looked down at her.

She smiled very innocently and fired back, "I'm happy to see you too!"  He rolled his eyes and embraced her. Granted, he had missed her, but he was hell bent on finding out her secret to making Heero tick like that.

"Are you two dating?"  The elevator dinged to announce its arrival at the top level.  

"Who?"  

"You and Heero." He clarified.

She laughed hysterically as she entered her presidential suite, "That's a great joke—a grand one." 

Heero arrived just in time from running up all eighteen flights of stairs to have the door slammed in his face.  The key he needed, he realized, was in her coat pocket.  She had offered to keep in safe for him until he needed it.  Well, he needed it _now_.

He rattled the door, pounded on it, and threatened to kick it in.  A moment later he blinked and stepped back, gripping a handful of hair in his fist.  '_Why the hell do I even care?_' 

Somewhere in the distance, he could have sworn he heard Duo laughing at him.  Clenching a fist against his chest, his resolve was restored by a rather brilliant idea:  He would use the roof to drop down onto the balcony—no, wait.  That was a little reckless, even for him.  He would have to balcony hop . . . no, there were no other balconies at the top floor.  A sadistic grin spread across his face; he flipped open his cell phone.

"Une.  I need a helicopter." 

Inside, Relena pulled her brother to the outside balcony, just to ensure that Heero couldn't listen through the door.  Zechs took in the skyline of Brussels with a wistful glance.  

"All right, Relena, what is going on?"

She surrendered a rather ornate envelope that was addressed to her.  

". . . the palace of Cinq . . .?"

"I know," she began as she leaned over his shoulder, "I was really confused too.  Read the letter though."

He could tell by the way her words rushed out that she was nearly ecstatic with joy.  He carefully unfolded the delicate stationary, trying to ignore the gleam in his sister's eye.  

Zechs Merquise, Milliardo Peacecraft, and the Lightning Baron all exploded into each other in that instant, and he was forced to lean against the balcony rail for support.  It couldn't be.  No way, no way, no way.  How could he tell her this?  How could he explain that this was just another sick, sorry woman that would stop at nothing to be associated with her?  The way she was smiling at him almost broke his heart.  He tucked the letter back into the envelope and handed it back to her wordlessly.

"Well?"  She inquired, breathless.

'_This is going to destroy her._'

"It's not her."

Relena shook her head, "No, you're wrong.  It's her."

Zechs sighed, "No, Relena, it's not."

"Yes," she tried, her voice getting a little strained, "it _is."_

"No!"  He shouted, having been driven to the point of near tears himself, "It's _not_ her, Relena.  It's _not_."

"How do you know?"  She was angry with him again.  This time was almost worse than on Libra. 

"Because!"  He was still shouting, "I saw her _die, Relena!  I was standing right there!  The entire grand staircase collapsed on her.  She threw you to me and told me to run, but I was too scared, God--!" Zechs had to sit down to calm himself, "Relena, I'm sorry.  It's not her.  Our mother, our father... our entire family is gone."_

He looked to her, but she had turned her gaze out towards the skyline.  '_I'm still here, you're still here.  That's family, isn't it?' She thought, biting her lip._

Zechs clumsily took her hands in his.  He had no way of knowing how to comfort her; their many years apart had created an emotional rift between them, and it would take nearly as long to mend it.  He began, "Relena someone probably found it and sent it post mort--,"

"I knew it.  I knew you wouldn't believe me."  She bit her lip and stood up, "I'm sorry I wasted your time."

"You're not wasting my time.  I just don't want you to get hurt."

"The lavender!  How do you explain the lavender?"  She whirled around, "A smell like that wouldn't last twelve years!  It wouldn't even last five!  Only someone extremely close to our family would have known such an intimate detail."

She had a point.  But, he had one to make as well.

"Relena, if she was still alive, why hasn't she come to see you in person?  Why is she hiding?"

"She's probably pretending to be dead, or she doesn't want to interfere with our lives—or something!"  She ran her hands down her dress anxiously, "Please, Milliardo.  I know this is crazy, but I just get this feeling that it's her."

"Relena . . ." he rubbed his face in his hands.

"I mean, what if we just went to the address?  Or what if we went back to Cinq to try to match her hand writing?"

He was so frustrated he wanted to scream.

"Fine.  _Fine."  She stood up and opened the door to go back into the hotel room, "I'll do it myself.  I don't care what it takes—if she's alive, then I'm going to find her.  Sorry I wasted your time with my silly little girl fantasies--!"_

"I'll help you."  Zechs stood up and moved inside, drawing the curtains completely shut behind him, "I'll make sure you're protected.  We'll start with Cinq's archives.  If we can't find anything of relevance, then we're going to call it off.  I can't be away from Noin for a long time when she's so close to full term."

Two tears of happiness seemed to leak from the corners of her eyes, "Thank you," she whispered, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"  She threw her arms around him almost unconsciously.  Zechs was a little taken aback, and put his arms around her awkwardly.  

"I just want you to be happy . . ."

"This is the best present you could have _ever given me.  I won't let you down on this."_

It was their first official hug as reconciled siblings.  Not to shabby for a man who almost crapped himself while talking to her on the phone earlier.  Even though he was starting his own, he needed some other family to be able to fall back on—someone like a sister, who would love him unconditionally.

They pulled back, the permanent smile still etched on her face and now, reflected on his own.  He grabbed her wrist as she reached to open the door.

"Just one more thing," he began with an eye brow raised.

"Sure, anything."

"How _did_ you get Heero so . . . disgruntled?"

She shrugged innocently, "I guess Mr. Yuy just doesn't like to be ignored."

Zechs shook his head in amazement, "One more thing."

"Yes?"

"This is our secret.  No one else can know.  Not even Heero . . . I'll speak to Une myself about having you switched over to my care."

"Fine," she waved a warning finger in his face, "But no telling Miss Noin, either."

Zechs nearly gulped, "The woman can read my mind.  If she happens to find out . . ."

Relena swatted him on the shoulder, "Don't leave your mind so open!  Just tell her that you're taking me to . . . research the family a little.  For the baby."  Technically, it wasn't a lie.  He nodded, they shook hands in agreement, and they returned to the ball and curious friends.

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Meanwhile, back at the metaphorical ranch, the Perfect Soldier had failed in convincing Une he needed a helicopter.  Instead, he had hijacked a window cleaner's platform from the ground and had begun lifting himself up twenty floors. 

He had gone by four consecutive floors in which the people were "reproducing in order to insure the survival of the human race" (as Relena had explained it to him when he had heard strange noises in the hotel room next to his) one had a cross dresser as a mermaid, one floor of kids threw things at him (a bar of soap hit him square between the eyes, and he was sent reeling back down another floor).  When he finally reached the top floor, he closed his eyes and clenched his fist.

"I've caught you, Relena, now you have to--," he opened his eyes and saw the balcony was empty, "Re...len...a?"

He hopped over the rail and let the window washer platform go crashing down twenty floors, smashing into a million splinters of wood.  Heero found that not only was the door locked, but she had left a note saying that unless he called for help from the Preventers, or some mighty miracle from God happened upon him, he would be outside until the next day. 

It wasn't a bad night out.  He crawled up onto a lawn chair and closed his eyes, calculating his next move as a soft breeze gently lifted the hair from his brow. 

Heero was a soldier.  He would not lose.  

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Tah dah!  Next chapter: Relena and Zechs finally get on the road and experience some major, uh, "road block." D 

Ophelia 2003 3


	3. Majority Rules

Noin was suspicious.  
  
Watching the back of her husband as he fluently packed his suitcase, listening as he talked rapidly about "future" and "family," and waiting for him to take a breath, she sat quietly on their hotel bed.  
  
"I understand," she began, looking down, "but why now?"  
  
He turned around, sensing her depleted mood. "It feels like if I don't find out now, I'll never get the chance to."  
  
Noin nodded, her entire body feeling numb. What he was searching for—what he was going to find—was something that she could never give to their child. Their child would take his name, but unless he accomplished his new mission, that would be all. She herself was raised in an orphanage; her gift would be life, but also a terrible, sad, past.  
  
Zechs turned back toward her, still clutching his blue dress shirt that he had removed from its hanger. He placed it delicately on his simple black duffel bag and moved to sit next to her. Noin leaned into him automatically, worried lines creasing her face.  
  
"Lucrezia." She looked up; he never used her full name unless he was serious. "I would never let you have our child on Mars, nor would I ever let you have her alone."  
  
"Him."  
  
"Pardon?" He pulled away slightly, confused.  
  
Noin smiled, "It's going to be a boy. I'll bet you anything."  
  
"It's a girl, and she's going to be just like her mother."  
  
She pushed him away playfully. "It's a boy."  
  
"If you're wrong I get at least three good pinches where it counts." Zechs stood and held out his hand to his wife, "And if I lose, I will make you the happiest woman in the world."  
  
She wrapped her arms around him, "And how do you propose to do that?"  
  
"I'll give you everything." He whispered in her ear.  
  
"Everything?" A wicked smile crossed her face, out of his line of sight.  
  
"Everything."  
  
"That's great! I've already scheduled the baby's underwater delivery. You still have your underwater training suit from Victoria, don't you?"  
  
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Lavender Castles (Part 2: Majority Rules) By Mourning Ophelia Email: fishphaedra.nu Disclaimer: Gundam W doesn't belong to me. ..  
  
Author's-Amazingly-Short-Note: School's out! Oh, the possibilities!  
  
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"And you fell for that?" Relena shut the door behind her, waving as Zechs slowly drove away from his wife. Her older brother didn't respond; he merely gazed at his wife in the rearview mirror, watching as she waved back. After about ten minutes of driving at the neck breaking speed of two miles an hour, Relena took matters into her own hands.  
  
Slamming her fist down on his thigh as hard as she possibly could, the car accelerated forward, throwing her back against her seat. Zechs panicked, slamming on the brakes.  
  
"What-what-why did you do that?" He sputtered, looking to her as if she was crazed. For a man who had nearly destroyed himself and the world, the unshakeable Lighting Count seemed to almost be quivering.  
  
"Because I would like to eventually leave this street and turn onto the next!"  
  
Zechs took a deep breath and put the rental car back into motion. It started slowly, lurching along and hugging the street corners as he turned delicately. Relena wanted to give him an exasperated look, but bit her lip and turned her head to face the window.  
  
Zechs cast his sister a sideways glance and wondered if he should say something, anything, to snap the amounting tension. He could ask her about work, or her new projects... but would that be too formal and too dismal? Zechs never truly believed that he had any right to know what was going on in her personal life other than life threatening situations or anything that jeopardized her happiness. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, willing himself to speak.  
  
"What do you--?" He began to question.  
  
"Where do you--?" She started at the same time.  
  
They looked at each other and Relena had to laugh a little. It was short and still tense, but it made her older brother feel a little bit calmer.  
  
"Where do you want to start?" She asked, tucking stray hairs behind her head, "I know that most of Cinq's library was burned during the first invasion."  
  
Oh. That was a good point. One that Zechs had yet to consider in his endless stress over his current situation.  
  
"The library or the Archives, given that they weren't completely destroyed either. I'm sure that there would be pictures and letters tucked away in Mother's or Father's personal belongings or desks."  
  
"The library should be—oh my God." Relena covered her mouth and gripped the door handle of the car as if her life depended on it.  
  
"What? Did you forget something?" Zechs' head rapidly switched back and forth from looking at the road to looking at her.  
  
"Oh wait, never mind. Here it is." She pulled her toothbrush out of her purse and smiled innocently.  
  
Zechs' shoulders slumped; if she kept it up, he would die from a heart attack before they even got to Cinq.  
  
"Anyway, you'll have to show me," Relena explained, brushing out her yellow sundress, "the last time I was in Cinq I was too afraid to look."  
  
Zechs merged onto the freeway, heading north towards the airport. It astonished to him that the entire time she lingered in Cinq before it was invaded (again), she hadn't bothered to even venture into the old palace grounds. She was probably too young to remember anything—the entire scope of the burnt out buildings might have been meaningless to her—but he would have expected her to look around.  
  
"Did I ever tell you that I was sorry?" She was staring out of the window again, counting the cars that weaved in and out of traffic carelessly. When the words slipped, she instantly regretted them. They had been in the car for all of ten minutes and she had to bring up something deep and penetrating like that.  
  
"You don't have to be sorry." His teeth were gritted. In his dreams he could still feel the adrenalin pumping through is veins, the ZERO system whispering, tempting him, as he scorched the sky to return home.  
  
"I let you down. I let everyone down."  
  
"You did the right thing," Zechs began, clicking his blinker on, "I just didn't want to accept it at the time. In the end, your safety was more important to me."  
  
Somehow, Relena had a hard time believing that but bit back a smart remark.  
  
"That was a pretty heavy conversation to have in the first ten minutes." Relena looked up to his amused face. He gave out a low chuckle that brought the slightest smile to her face to, "I guess it's better just to get it out into the open."  
  
"Anything you would like to apologize to me about?" Relena folded her hands delicately in her lap and gave him a demure look.  
  
Zechs racked his brain for anything and everything, "I'm sorry about the hologram thing on Libra."  
  
"And?"  
  
"Nearly hitting your shuttle with the Libra's beam?"  
  
"And?"  
  
"...trying to kill Heero more than once?"  
  
"And?"  
  
"There's more?" He gave her a confused look. Talk about forcing a guilty conscience on someone.  
  
She narrowed her eyes, "What about the time when I was really young and you rescued me from that terrorist, Mr. Prince of the Stars?"  
  
The car swerved sharply to the right before he was able to regain control, "You... remember that?"  
  
Relena gave him a pointed look, "While I am grateful for your services and protection, I would have much rather have had you come out and tell me point-blank that I was your sister instead of dallying around and waiting for me to lean out of a helicopter in Antarctica telling a nearly complete stranger to kill you."  
  
"Sorry about that, then." He masked an amused look as he handed off the keys to their rental car and began to pull their luggage from the trunk.  
  
Relena, remarkably enough, had probably packed less than he had, though Zechs assumed that she was more apt at cramming clothing into suitcases from her endless traveling. She waved off his assistance in carrying her luggage to the airport shuttle. Once they were settled down, she couldn't help but hear the mutterings of the other passengers. An older woman, red on the head but black in the soul (apparently), had the audacity to lean over to her husband and discuss the two siblings.  
  
"Is that Queen Relena and...?"  
  
"I don't believe it...!"  
  
"Should we ask for an autograph?"  
  
Zechs had leaned his head back to stare at the ceiling of the shuttle, listening intently. Whenever the shuttle hit a pot in the road, his skull would slam back down against the leather of the seat. It was somehow appropriate.  
  
"His autograph should be worth more. He's dead remember?"  
  
"Is that a ghost?"  
  
"Don't be ridiculous, it's obviously robot or a mannequin."  
  
Zechs had to suppress a sort bark of laughter; Relena elbowed him the stomach and gave him a warning look. If they had been recognized that fast, they were it seemed that they were going to be bogged down by nosy people just like them in the future—except it would be thousands of nosy people that would include, but would not be limited to, reporters, dignitaries, and stalkers.  
  
She felt him move, and glanced over. He had pulled out a pad of paper from his duffel bag and ball point pen out of the side pocket; he scribbled down a message.  
  
'They think I'm a robot.' He passed it to his sister.  
  
"That is the most amazing robot I've ever see." The woman was amazed, "He even writes!"  
  
Relena laughed and wrote back, 'I think we're going to need disguises.'  
  
The difference in their handwriting was impressive. His handwriting was small, rough, all capitalized. At the Academy the rule was that as long as it was legible, it could be turned it. Even if he hadn't known her history, Zechs would have known that she was raised in upper class society, most likely at a private school. Her handwriting was very clear, in cursive, and had grandiose loops that grouped letters together beautifully. If it was possible, their handwritings displayed the stark contrast that was their pasts.  
  
'Maybe I can be a real robot then.'  
  
Relena slapped his arm and giggled in a way that made Zechs feel a little giddy, strangely enough.  
  
'I never took you for having a sense of humor.'  
  
Zechs shrugged and replaced the pad in his bag as the shuttle came to a halting stop. It wouldn't be the last time they would be recognized, but they did need to take more precautions if they were going to be able to work and research without disruption. It was unfortunate that they had to take an airplane, but driving and going by train would have taken forever and a day—and with a very pregnant wife, that was not an option.  
  
He slid on his aviator sunglasses, almost exact replicas of the ones he had worn when he was 16. Noin had given them to him as a joke (she later confessed that she was afraid they would even upset him) for his twenty- first birthday. He never did find the words to tell her how much they meant to him.  
  
Relena passed in front of him and he followed close behind.  
  
"Oh my Lord, Henry, it even has sunglasses!"  
  
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There was a great disturbance in the force.  
  
The first tremor had come when the elevator had chimed, announcing its arrival. A storm broke then, causing Preventers to stop and stare, secretaries to pick up the phone to pretend they were working, and even one Wufei Chang to take a step back.  
  
The aforementioned hurricane slammed the door open to his superior's office, not caring whom was inside, or the fact that her secretary was nearly sobbing behind him.  
  
"Get back to work!" he snapped, irritated. The young woman immediately turned tail back to the sanctuary of her desk.  
  
"Preventer Wing! How dare you enter without knocking and announcing yourself?"  
  
"Une." Heero stormed up to the desk and slammed his hands down on it. If she was any other woman, she would have at the very least flinched. But this was no ordinary woman—this was Colonel Une, and she was about to lay the smack down.  
  
"Heero." Her voice was just as angry.  
  
"Where is Relena?"  
  
"Did you not get the memo? She's on vacation."  
  
He slammed his hands down on her desk again, and she pulled out her letter opener and waved in his face, "Do it again, Heero Yuy, and you'll be missing fingers."  
  
He removed his hands immediately and stood up straight, "Sorry, Sir."  
  
"That's better, Preventer. Now repeat your question."  
  
Heero fought back an annoyed look, "Where is Relena." A demand, not a question.  
  
"She's on vacation, but the details were filed under confidential. I'm not even allowed to know." Une loved torturing him. It was a sadistic pleasure that would never die.  
  
"Who's protecting her then? Don't tell me she was reckless enough to go off on her own!"  
  
Une leaned back in her chair and folded her hands together neatly, "Preventer Wind."  
  
"Wi—Zechs?" Heero took a step back, more out of surprise than anything else. He didn't even know the two siblings could be in the same room with each other for more than two minutes without some world catastrophe happening.  
  
Une nodded, tilting her head to the side, "You're free to take a vacation as well, considering you have accumulated over 200 days."  
  
Heero snorted, "Where's Noin staying?"  
  
"With Preventer Water." Heero found it incredibly annoying that she was using their Preventer names rather than their real ones.  
  
She continued, "Noin is here, however, visiting some of her old friends."  
  
Heero was gone before she could even finish her sentence.  
  
Une waited a few moments before leaning over and straightening out the papers that had gone array on her desk, slowly, digesting what had just happened. Once finished she leaned back in her chair and glanced at a small frame to her left. She smiled.  
  
The man in the picture smiled back at her.  
  
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"There you are! I had heard you were stomping about the compound." Noin had an amused look her face. She was sitting with Sally in the break room, but Wufei was no where in sight. Rubbing her protruding stomach slightly with one hand, she patted the chair next to her, "Have a seat, we were just talking about you."  
  
Heero remained standing with his arms crossed over his chest, "Where are they, Noin?"  
  
Sally and Noin exchanged looks, "I'm not sure. Zechs was very vague."  
  
"This isn't a joke; Relena could be in serious danger."  
  
Sally raised a brow, "You're worried about Zechs' ability to protect her? Somehow I think she'll be pretty safe. I seem to remember someone almost beating someone else more than a few times during the war."  
  
"That's not what I'm talking about. He doesn't know all the procedures!"  
  
Sally and Noin rewarded him with looks that conveyed how pathetic he was being.  
  
Noin, however, smiled kindly at him, "Heero. They're just spending some time together. I think they just want to get to know each other a little better before it's too late. She'll be back within two weeks."  
  
"I'll go find them and return them."  
  
Heero's hands had suddenly become fists, and even he wanted to punch himself in the face. What was he, jealous, that Zechs was spending time with Relena? No, he didn't experience that emotion—she just wasn't safe. It was unlikely that Zechs had even brought weapons with him. His rival had—  
  
"Heero." Noin gritted her teeth and threw a salt shaker at his head, which Heero barely ducked away from, "It is one thing if you don't trust my husband, but it is another thing to sulk around and make everyone else's lives miserable because you're unhappy and you don't understand why. Do you think I like it that they left? I am about to give birth, Heero, what's your excuse?" Noin reached for the pepper shaker, but Sally quickly pulled it away and let out a nervous laugh.  
  
"If I know anything about Relena, at least, I'm sure you could probably start looking for them at Cinq. Noin was telling me, before her nice little mood swing there, that they were also going to find out more about their family history." Sally stood and moved to help her friend to her feet, "I'm sure Zechs made it so they wouldn't leave a paper or credit card trail—but you're Heero, I'm sure you'll figure out a way to track them down."  
  
Heero nodded. At least he had something.  
  
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"Did you know," Relena began after nearly an hour of driving in silence, "that that is the twenty seventh time in the past year that someone has thrown up on me in flight?" Zechs gave off a short snort to show his amusement.  
  
The flight had been smooth; what he never knew, however, was that his little sister was deathly afraid of taking off and landing in an airplane. She tried to explain that it was different than in a space shuttle, but he himself never really noticed a difference. When the plane began to pick up speed on the runway, she bit back a sharp cry and clutched his hand. Landing had been worse. She had actually buried her face against his arm, as if it would shield her if they exploded into millions of pieces across the runway. It had been painful at the time, but endeared her to him more than he thought possible.  
  
The only thought he had at the time: Heero must wish they had more plane flights.  
  
They had picked up another rental car three hours back when night had just begun to drip down across the sky, just outside of Newport City. When Cinq had been founded, the king had decided that it would be best to spread out the different resources across the small country to ensure some economic balance.  
  
"What do you know about Cinq, Relena?" He asked quietly. He was a walking encyclopedia on the subject.  
  
She placed a finger delicately on her cheek as she often did unconsciously when in thought, "It was founded after the Second World War when the Allies decided to break up part of Germany's landholdings and refused to let Russia annex it for fear that it would become another communistic society. A democratic monarchy was founded, and we're direct decedents of the very first King—King Philip I," she paused, gathering her thoughts, "Because it was, excuse me, is a pacifist nation it was delegated as neutral territory to settle diplomatic disputes. I know about the first invasion that was basically a massacre because we had no standing army. That's about it."  
  
Zechs smiled sadly, "Newport wasn't the original capital, but because Cinq became so reliant on fishing and sea trade for its economy it was moved. Oh, and do you remember—well you probably don't—Pagan was our butler even back then."  
  
Relena's face burst forth with a smile like he knew it would, "I never knew that. Pagan... Pagan is the best. I would never have survived without him."  
  
"I used to practice fencing with him." A small reminiscent smile touched the corner of his lips before he grit it back.  
  
"I know, he told me about it. You should talk to Pagan sometime, even if it's just to say hello." Relena decided.  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Deer." Relena gasped.  
  
Zechs gave her a startled look, "Dear?"  
  
She pointed frantically, "STOP! DEER!!"  
  
Zechs slammed on his brakes and the SUV skidded to a halt only centimeters from the animal, which remained frozen in a state of catatonic shock. Both siblings returned it's wide-eyed stare.  
  
Then it fell over on the road, still stiff, but now officially dead.  
  
Relena screamed and even Zechs had to jump slightly.  
  
"We killed him! Oh no!" Relena looked like she would burst out into tears. Meanwhile, panic had seized Zechs' heart. Now she would think he was a murder of deer and they wouldn't be able to talk; every time she looked at him she would see that poor, innocent deer fall over dead as a doornail. God! This was so not fair! Just when they were finally starting to relax a little around each other! Damn that stupid deer to hell!  
  
The door slammed and he looked up to find Relena out in front of the car, illuminated by the car's headlights. She waved for him to get out as well, but he shook his head. Frankly, he wasn't one for animal carnage. There had been a time where, back at the Academy, he and Noin had come across a dead cat, and she had to be the one to move it. This time, however, he had no choice. Relena stomped her foot and crossed her arms, giving him the best Heero impersonation she could muster. Silently, he slid out of the car and moved to stand next to her. He gazed down at his latest victim.  
  
Its eyes were still open as they had been when he had halted the car.  
  
"I think it had a heart attack and just fell over." Relena whispered, as if she was too sad to say it in a normal voice.  
  
"Probably." That probably sounded too lackadaisical. He sighed, his shoulders slumping forward, "I'm sorry."  
  
She placed a hand on his arm, "It's not your fault. The poor thing just had a bad heart."  
  
He nodded, mournfully. He had a bad heart too, and all this drama had set it beating rapidly. Where was Noin? Even nine months pregnant she probably would still clear the animal out of his line of sight.  
  
He closed his eyes, 'Please don't ask me to move it. Please don't ask me to bury it. Please don't ask me anything but how soon we'll get to Newport.'  
  
"Milliardo..."  
  
Uh oh. Maybe she would believe that he wasn't really dead, just sleeping?  
  
"Could we... could you please move him off the road? I can't stand the thought of someone else coming over and running him over again."  
  
He swallowed hard, "Relena..." Oh, he was a weak man, "I'm not going to bury him, though."  
  
She gave him that hopeful, quavering smile of hers that melted the very core of the earth into little puddles of happiness.  
  
Zechs Merquise took a deep breath and forced himself to assess the situation, falling back on his days as a soldier. The best way would be just drag it... He reached down for the hind legs and began to move it.  
  
"No! You're hurting him!" The rough surface had caused some blood to well on the animal's surface, but they were only minor flesh wounds.  
  
"Relena, he's dead." He snapped.  
  
"I know, but..."  
  
Option Two really sucked, but he had to do it. There was no way he would be able to pick the animal without killing himself or his back.  
  
"Look, Relena! A little family of white bunnies!"  
  
She gasped in delight and began to look around frantically in the dark, "Oh, where?"  
  
The minute she turned her head he finished dragging the animal to the side of the road and stood up innocently.  
  
"I guess you missed them." He was going to hell for sure now.  
  
"Oh." Relena moved back towards the car and buckled herself in dejectedly. Zechs remained outside staring at the deer for a moment before wiping his hands on the side of his pants. Glancing down, and towards the city skyline in the distance, he found it was somehow appropriate to be covered in blood and entering Cinq at night. It was, after all, just another reminder of who he was, and what he had done.  
  
He gave the deer one final look before returning to his sister and the cursed S.U.V.  
  
Relena's new beachfront property was waiting for its visitors.  
  
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That's it for part two. :D Next chapter: The search begins in the archives of Cinq, and Relena and Heero undergo some serious role reversals.  
  
I'll post this in the next chapter too, but I wanted to explain something about the ages of the kids when Cinq Kingdom was first attacked. Relena, at the time, would have only been about 2 and Zechs about 6 according to the official manga timeline. However, the reason I had originally assumed that they were older was because when Zechs goes and liberates Cinq from the Alliance, he finds a picture of Relena that has her with long hair and looking about five-ish (nice work, Sunrise, on consistency). I've gone back and edited the prologue a bit so it was more realistic to their ages (towards the end when Relena asks about their mother's perfume). :D  
  
Mucho love! Leave me some comments or questions that you might have! 


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